BOYS SOCCER: Greencastle-Antrim holds off Waynesboro

GREENCASTLE — For Greencastle-Antrim's Luke Bitner, it was all about being at the right place at the right time.

Just past the 11-minute mark of Tuesday's boys varsity soccer contest against Waynesboro, Bitner capitalized on a golden opportunity for the game's only goal, propelling the Blue Devils to a 1-0, Mid-Penn Colonial Division victory.

Following a throw-in, Zach Faulkner flicked a header across the front of the net, with the ball originally deflecting off the far post before rolling cleanly onto the foot of Bitner, who was positioned near the top of the box. Without hesitation, the senior swiftly launched a shot into the lower-left corner, netting what proved to be the decisive goal.

It was the second time this season G-A (10-3, 5-3 MPC-Colonial) defeated Waynesboro (4-7, 2-7 MPC-Colonial) by a score of 1-0, utilizing a stout defensive approach to keep the Indians off the board.

"Defensively, I thought we did a really nice job tonight," G-A coach Scott Gelsinger said. "Waynesboro passed the ball well in the midfield, but we didn't give up a lot of shots or scoring opportunities."

Early on, the Indians originally pressured the Blue Devils' end, with Jesse Smith coming free on a pair of promising chances before being turned away by G-A goalkeeper Josh Spoonhour in the opening 10 minutes.

Following Bitner's goal, the tempo began to shift, with the Blue Devils creating several opportunities to potentially extend their advantage, each of which were turned away by Waynesboro keeper Kris Settlage.

Both Faulkner and Noah Graham — G-A's two leading scorers — had 1-on-1 chances prior to the half, with Settlage making a pair of diving saves to keep the deficit at 1-0.

The complexity of the contest continued throughout the final 40 minutes, with the Blue Devils holding the Indians to just three shots in the second half while continuing to come at Settlage in waves. Unfazed by the relentless attack, the Waynesboro keeper kept his team well within striking distance, despite G-A limiting the Indians' chances on the other end.

"Right now, we have to come up with some ways to put the ball in the net after being shut out for our last three games," Waynesboro coach Doug Beckner said. "I thought at times we controlled the game, but Greencastle's defense was very stout in turning away the few chances we had."

Aside from scoring the game's only goal, Bitner also anchored G-A's collectively strong defensive effort, joined by the likes of Justin Hovey and Paul Herman out of the center-mid position.

Despite being credited with the loss, Settlage's performance in goal did not go unnoticed, finishing with 16 saves, including a few capable of the highlight reel.

"Greencastle had several break aways that Kris (Settlage) made great stops on," Beckner said. "I'm not disappointed in our play, we just can't have a short letdown in the game and give up an easy goal if we're not going to score to offset those challenges."

Page 2 of 2 - Gelsinger also acknowledged Settlage's strong showing and recognizes his team's need to capitalize when the opportunities present themselves.

"Their keeper made a couple nice saves on our 1-on-1 chances," Gelsinger said. "We need to start finishing those chances in close games against tough opponents like this one tonight."

Both G-A and Waynesboro will return to action on Thursday when the Blue Devils make the short trip to James Buchanan while the Indians travel to Boiling Springs.